Best non-CD console for vertical shmups?

[shmupsrocks]

What are your thoughts on the best console for vertical shmups that doesn't use CDs?

[thegreathopper]

PC Engine.

[shmupsrocks]

I was looking at the PC Engine but I need 2 players. Do many of the shmups work with the multitap?

[Dochartaigh]

**EDIT** just noticed the title says "non-CD", so disregard the below lol...

PC Engine is a bit early for shmups for me (I'm more the DonPachi era and later kinda guy), and the Sega Saturn has probably the greatest number of Shmups and a ton of arcade ports (so much so there's even a special SD card image loaded up with all of them with only shmups).

[bobrocks95]

Care to explain why this theoretical purchase can't be disc-based? Because for vertical shmups I mainly think PS1, Saturn, PS2, 360. Most classic vertical shooters got reworked home versions for horizontal screens, until you got to emulated PS1/PS2-era compilation discs.

[SCARTicus]

Why only vertical? Horizontal shooters have the same variety of gameplay, and are much more common on consoles. Who wants to rotated their TV? I mean, really? Some enthusiasts today do it with what is now very old and often cheap hardware, but the situation was different in the 90s. That being said...

Sega Genesis!
People often forget how many fantastic shmups are on this system, especially when you can play Japanese imports. Thunder Force, Eliminate Down, MUSHA, Battle Mania... The list goes on and on! Genesis games fit perfectly into audio cassette racks, and it is one of the cheapest systems to collect for.

Or PC Engine was also very good for shooters, and the games are compact and fit in trading card sleeves!

The NeoGeo is expensive, but it has a few fantastic shmups! All killer and no filler! Blazing Star, Pulstar Aero Fighters 2 and 3, Last Resort, Strikers 1945+, Viewpoint... Neo Geo games fit nicely in the beds of pickup trucks.

If you are willing to give up your no CD requirement, the Sega Saturn is the all time mack daddy of shmups. Nothing approaches it except for the PSX, which is also quite great for this genre. These systems also have far more vertically-oriented offerings in their libraries than the previous generations of solid-state media consoles. You can get very reasonably priced ODEs for them and ditch CD media entirely!

[jandrogo]

Modded x360